I created the UK Beaders site and group as so many UK beaders have found it difficult to find the kind of information they need all in one place, be it suppliers, tutorials, events or anything else bead or jewellery related. I'm constantly adding more features and doing all I can to promote beading and jewellery making in the UK.

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Thursday, February 02, 2012

Ahh, love is in the air, and the month of all things red and romantic is upon us. I've put together a quick but useful tutorial on how to add a bit more heart to your jewellery.

**Caution** A quick word of warning, if you have a pair of goggles around, put them on! Love isn't the only thing in the air - there are bits of flying metal, too ;).

What you'll need:

Wire - any gauge. I used 0.8mm for these.

Round nosed pliers

Wire cutters

Optional: A file or bead reamer to smooth the ends of you wire

Step 1:Cut as many lengths of wire as you require. The length is up to you, but the ones shown here are about 2cm.

Step 2:If your wires have rough ends, now is the time to file them.Take a length of cut wire, and bend it in the middle with your round nosed pliers into a V shape.

Step 3:Take your V shape and with your pliers curl one end (like you would for a loop). Bend the wire until you've made a half circle (roughly!).

Step 4:Repeat step three on the other end of your V, and you have a heart! You may need to tinker a bit with the shape to get it just right.

An added effect...You can leave your links as in Step 4, or for an extra touch, you can hammer your links for texture. Sometimes hammering can be a bit tricky on silver plated wire, so I like to gently "smoosh" the wire with a flat area of my pliers for the hammered look.

Now your links are finished and ready to be made into chains, links, and charms. The possibilities are endless!